Afghanistan's acting defense minister urges neighbors to "return planes"

The acting defense minister of the Afghan interim government, Mohammad Jacob, sternly demanded that Tajikistan and Uzbekistan return military aircraft belonging to Afghanistan on the 11th. "Don't test our patience, don't force us to retaliate with the means we have... We endured a lot and waited a long time," Mohammad Jacob said. Before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the Afghan Air Force had a total of 162 aircraft, according to a report by the U.S. Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. Of these, 131 were operational, and about 25 percent were destined for Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.